In one type of computer animation, a number of frames of a computer model are generated, such that displaying the frames in succession gives the appearance that the model is animated. However, with the increasing popularity of low-bandwidth situations such as dial-up connections to the Internet, this type of animation is problematic. A dial-up connection to the Internet, for example, may only provide a throughput of 33,600 bits per second (bps). Having to receive a number of frames of a computer model over a low-bandwidth Internet connection, each of which may consume a relatively large number of data, means that the animation may take several minutes to download prior to the displaying of the animation being able to take place. Where there are a number of different animations to be downloaded for a given web page, for example, the overall effect is to negatively impact the experience of viewing the web page by a user.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.